ReportGratitude2017

As the international relief and development ministry of the Australian Jesuit Province, the work of Jesuit Mission is close to the very heart of our mission as Jesuits – to be with and serve our most vulnerable sisters and brothers living on the ‘frontiers’ of our world.

Last year I travelled with Fr Trung Nguyen SJ, Rector of Jesuit Mission, to witness our Australian Province’s outreach in Hazaribag, India. Our Australian Jesuit Mission story began in Hazaribag 66 years ago, when the first Australian Jesuits were missioned there.

Through the service of the Australian Jesuits and the generous support of Jesuit Mission supporters, family and friends for more than half a century, there are now 65 formal and non-formal schools, 2 tertiary institutions and 17 hostels that educate more than 27,000 people every year in Hazaribag, many who are from marginalised Tribal or Dalit communities.

As we are part of the Jesuit Conference of Asia-Pacific (JCAP), the work of Jesuit Mission has extended to our neighbours, including Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Myanmar. In 2017, Jesuit Mission helped more than 45,000 people to build new lives for themselves, free of poverty and injustice.

These important works are only possible through the dedication and commitment of the Jesuit Mission Board, staff and volunteers, including Chair Jack de Groot, CEO Helen Forde and Rector Fr Trung Nguyen SJ. I thank them for their service and commitment.

In my role as Provincial, I have had the privilege of attending Jesuit Mission events including the long-standing annual Maytime Fair in Melbourne and the Indian Bazaar in Sydney. At these events, I am always struck by the generosity, commitment and spirit of supporters like you, who give up so much of your time and effort to help us reach out to those most in need.

Thank you for being Companions of Jesuit Mission and the support you offer through your presence, generosity and prayers.

May the Lord continue to bless us in companionship,

Fr Brian F McCoy SJProvincial, Society of Jesus in Australia

In the name of Jesus and in the spirit of Ignatius, we are called to the generous service of others.

We have a preferential love of the poor and uphold the innate dignity and promote the rights of God’s most vulnerable people from all faiths and cultures.

We partner with Jesuits and other companions overseas to empower women, men and children living on the frontiers to liberate themselves from poverty

and injustice through participation in programs that build skills, capacity and resilience to live full and free lives.

We invite Australian companions into communion with our global human family. Our shared faith and love of Jesus compels us into authentic relationships and the spirit of Ignatius guides us to be men and women for others.

Our Mission

From the Provincial

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Faith, justice and reconciliation for a full and free life.

Dear Jesuit Mission Companions,

Fr Brian McCoy SJ (second left) with fellow Jesuits in India, visiting the construction site of a new study and dining hall for Dalit girls.

I am pleased to share with you our first Gratitude Report, which is about honouring and offering our heartfelt gratitude to you, our supporters. You are our partners in mission who enable Jesuits overseas to serve the world’s most disenfranchised people, helping them to build the skills, capacity and resilience needed to create and sustain lives free from poverty and injustice.

2017 has been filled with many blessings. With the approval of our five-year strategic plan at the end of 2016, we have been able to put this into action throughout the year to further grow and strengthen our work. Through your generous support, we have been able to reach more of our marginalised brothers and sisters. Continuing the legacy of the early Jesuit missionaries, our programs have provided education to over 30,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable students, and trained more than 1,400 other people with livelihood and vocational skills so that they are empowered to liberate themselves from poverty.

In the past year I had the privilege of spending time with many of our Jesuit missionaries and lay companions working with communities in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and India. During these visits, I have encountered the fruits of our works seeing first-hand the incredible stories of success and transformation as families shift from day-to-day survivors to families living full and free lives.

Looking forward, I see so many signs of hope for the future. In 2018, we will celebrate the first graduating class at Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola in Timor-Leste. Through your support, we will continue our

work in over 11 countries, and accompany our overseas partners in strengthening the capacity needed to build long-term futures.

Jesuit Mission is truly blessed. I am deeply grateful for the friendship and companionship of our faithful, generous and committed co-missionaries – our volunteers, committees, schools, parishes, community groups and supporters like you – who demonstrate your love for the poor, not with words but through deeds. The good news stories in this report are just a snapshot of the thousands of lives you helped touch in 2017.

With sincere gratitude,

Helen Forde Chief Executive Officer, Jesuit Mission

Contents

From the CEO

3

Your support, your impact ................................................ 4

Focus country: Timor-Leste .............................................. 6

Your support creating change .......................................... 9

Action creating change – Our community events ......... 13

Faith creating change – Our parish partnerships .......... 14

Solidarity creating change – Schools in action ............. 16

Launching Disturbing the Dust ...................................... 18

Q&A with Fr Trung Nguyen SJ ......................................... 19

Our heartfelt gratitude .................................................... 19

Front cover: Young students sharing a smile at St Joseph’s School in Tarwa, India. Established by Jesuit missionaries, St Joseph’s School aims to provide quality education for Dalit children, one of the most marginalised groups in India. Credit: Bijay Kumar

Dear friends,

Helen Forde meets with a student at one of the six hostels that Jesuit Mission supports in Cambodia.

In 2017, Jesuit Mission programs directly supported over

Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Myanmar and India were the largest recipients of funds.

At least 36 of our projects had a clear focus on improving access to education for over 30,000 of the poorest and most marginalised people.

Over 21,000 medical consultations and treatments were provided for people who are refugees, seeking asylum, in prison and living in poverty in Thailand and Timor-Leste.

We provided hostel accommodation (board, food and scholarships) for over 600 students from very poor and marginalised families in Cambodia, Myanmar and India.

Over 1,400 people were supported with livelihoods and vocational skills training.

We responded to families experiencing emergency crisis with food aid, shelter, medical care and education support in 7 countries.

Over 10,000 people were provided pastoral care and support.

We constructed 70 new homes for very poor families and people with disabilities in Cambodia and Myanmar.

We supported over 440 influential and key community leaders with training programs and salaries.

TIMOR-LESTEContributions by Country

VIETNAM, CHINA, HAITI, LEBANON, SRI LANKA

INDIACAMBODIA

JCAP *

THAILAND

MALAWI, ZIMBABWE, ANGOLA, SOUTH AFRICA, KENYA, SOUTH SUDAN

MYANMAR

IN 2017 JESUIT MISSION SUPPORTED

76%

45 in 16 countrieswith

21PARTNERS

“I am so thankful to all our partners, Jesuits, lay leaders, staff and volunteers who dedicate their lives to serve, love and advocate with and for others. The paths they chart into the frontiers not only bring justice, light and hope to those they encounter, they bring us all closer as one family and to God.” – Angela Ford, International Programs Manager

women, men and children who are marginalised and vulnerable to poverty.

45,000

*Jesuit Conference of Asia-Pacific

PROJECTS

Your support, your

AU$3.6mTotal international programs payments in 2017

impact

4 5

Funding to projects in THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

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As one of our nearest neighbours and one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, Timor-Leste is a priority country for Jesuit Mission. 2017 was a significant year for our Jesuit partners and programs in Timor; there are many achievements we celebrate and abundant blessings we give thanks for.

Timor-LesteFocus country:

“This gratitude I would like to address to all and each of you, and in you, to God himself. Let me highlight and share with you some of the gifts the Lord has bestowed on us, both as individuals and as a region in the year 2017.” – Fr Joaquim Sarmento SJ, Regional Superior of Timor-Leste

Joy and celebrations at Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola Secondary School. In 2017, the school was formally recognised as a secondary school by the Timor Ministry of Education. Credit: Br Jeffrey Pioquinto SJ

The Jesuit Education Project is one of the largest Jesuit endeavours in Timor-Leste. It aims to form young people to become men and women for others and contribute to the development of their young country. The project has established a secondary school - Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola (CSIL), and a teacher’s training institute - Instituto de São João de Brito (ISJB).

“The teachers teach us how to learn and how to develop our capacity to help other people.” - Ivo, Year 11 student at CSIL in 2017

Through the generous support of our Jesuit Mission family, including Australian Jesuit schools and other Catholic schools, there have been many milestones and achievements in 2017. At CSIL, construction of key new buildings were completed; the school now has a multi-purpose hall, administration and faculty rooms, a new library and a canteen. The teacher training institute was approved as an official Higher Education Institute, in February the first stone was laid for the new building, and by the end of 2017 the construction was nearly complete.

“Thank you for your generous work to make the mission in Timor-Leste possible. Please, extend my heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors in Australia. Their contributions make our mission move forward.” - Fr Side Pereira SJ, Rector at ISJB

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Educating future leaders

In partnership with the Jesuit parish of St Canice’s in Sydney, Jesuit Mission also supports communities living in Railaco, a subdistrict in the mountains outside of Dili. Read more about the works on p14.

In 2017, the faith community at Railaco celebrated the opening of their new church, and the official elevation of the community to the status of Parish, under the care of the Jesuits.

Railaco community

545 students received high-quality secondary education; 100% passed the national exams; and two Year 9 students came 1st and 5th in the country

48 teachers completed a year of their training to teach Timor’s future leaders

54 teachers and staff were employed and received further professional development

The campus of Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola in November 2017, including the newly constructed multi-purpose hall, library and canteen.

We are grateful, because in 2017 you helped

A young mother waits to be seen by Fr ‘Bong’ Abad Santos SJ, the Jesuit missionary doctor who runs the Railaco mobile medical clinic. Credit: Michael Coyne

educate leaders:

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After learning about the Water Project last year, long-term supporter Michael was inspired to fund the entire construction of a water-well for a whole community. He also started speaking to his family and friends about it, and asked if they would commit to supporting the project as well.

We are so grateful to Michael for his inspiring example of generosity and dedication.

“One of the things that drew me to the project is that water is really one of the most basic things of life. Nothing can happen without water.” – Michael, Jesuit Mission supporter

One well at a time

Water – enabling communities to live to their full potentialLast year we shared with you Anato’s story – a young boy in Timor-Leste who used to have to walk hours every day to collect water. We were overwhelmed with the generous support of the Jesuit Mission community to Anato’s story. Thanks to your compassion, in 2018 the Jesuit Water Project will be able to help five communities to construct clean water facilities, and another five in 2019. Water is a basic life resource, and what comes with water is life in its full potential.

“When we were about to drill the wells the people gathered to pray for success. When the water came, they were so overjoyed, thanking God for giving them water at long last.” - Marselinus Oki, Jesuit Social Services Water Project Engineer

Looking ahead

• The first graduating class at CSIL secondary school will graduate Year 12 in December. This will be a wonderful milestone for the students and the wider school community

• The next phase of the Water Project will commence providing more communities with access to clean water

• The ISJB teacher training institute will officially move into their new building

• We will continue our accompaniment of the Jesuits and lay companions to strengthen capacity

• We will construct a new boys dormitory so that students in remote areas of Railaco can attend school

Through your generous support, here are a few of the key activities in Timor-Leste we look forward to in 2018:

Now that he doesn’t have to walk hours to collect water each day, Anato is able to focus on his education.

Water towers and other clean water facilities have flow-on effects to improving agriculture and health for communities in Timor-Leste. Credit: Michael Coyne

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Prison and Immigration Detention Centre Ministry, Thailand

In 2017, we shared Pore’s story with you. Pore had just served his 15-year prison sentence in Bangkok and was eagerly awaiting his return to Nepal to be reunited with his daughter Muna, who he had not seen since she was a baby.

We recently heard from Kep, who runs the Jesuit Prison Ministry in Thailand. In November 2017, she had travelled to Nepal to see how Pore and other Nepalese ex-prisoners were progressing since returning home. Pore has been attending the Don Bosco technical school, learning to become an electrician. Unfortunately, he has not been able to find a job yet, but is trying hard.

“Pore said he will try to look for a job in Kathmandu a little more,” shared Kep. “If he cannot find a job, he will have

to go back to his village, but his daughter may have to remain in Kathmandu to have better education. However, they don’t want to be separated again.”

We thank you for your generous support of ministering to some of the most outcast people in society, and we continue to pray for Pore that he will be able to find a job soon to support his family.

“The time spent with Pore Ghale and Muna was brief but grace-filled. We were happy to receive a warm welcome and to listen to their stories. Life is difficult but people give encouragement and support.” - Kep

Reconnecting families through love

Kep and her team meeting with ten ex-prisoners during her visit to Nepal. She says, “It was a joy to meet with them and their families. One ex-prisoner said he could not believe that we are all sitting together in his home in Nepal together with his friends from Bangkwang [Prison]. He praised God for his amazing grace.”

support to the Prison Ministry program

support to the Immigration Detention Centre program

379 detainees were assisted to return home after their release from detention

12,809 medical consultations and treatment for people detained

Pastoral care provided to 1251 very vulnerable prisoners in 11 prisons

Kep and Fr Olivier Morin SJ visited Pore and his daughter Muna at their home in Nepal.

We are grateful, because in 2017 you helped people live in dignity:

Your support creatingchange

AU$51,300AU$51,300

Girls dining and study hall at St Joseph’s Tarwa, India

Our commitment to providing education for the most marginalised children in India was key to our foundational mission 66 years ago, and continues to be an ongoing priority for Jesuit Mission today. Our 2017 Christmas appeal shared our past, present and future works in Hazaribag, and we were humbled by your generous response.

Our appeal highlighted a current project to build a study and dining hall at St Joseph’s School in Tarwa for Dalit girls. Our Rector Fr Trung Nguyen SJ recently visited the site, and the construction is progressing well and on track to finish in June 2018.

During his visit, Fr Trung spoke with some of the girls who are eagerly looking forward to being able to use the dining and study hall with lighting and shelter from the weather. They spoke of their love of going to school, and their dreams to one day become teachers

and nurses so that they can help their communities. We would like to thank you for supporting the education of marginalised girls, enabling them to pursue their dreams and live full and free lives.

Metta Karuna, Cambodia

Last year, we asked you to share your messages of solidarity to people like Mrs Ho who have been part of the Metta Karuna program in Cambodia, which helps people living with disabilities to earn a livelihood. The local program team were delighted to receive so many messages from the Australian community, delivered by Jesuit Mission CEO, Helen Forde. Thank you for your heart-warming demonstration of solidarity and support.

During the visit to the program, Helen also met Loch (pictured right), who has also been supported by the Metta Karuna program. Through your support in 2018, Jesuit Mission will continue to empower people living with a disability like Mrs Ho and Loch to live full and free lives.

Thanks for sharing your heart

Building to educate girls

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150 Dalit girls will have a place to study and eat with dignity

support to the Metta Karuna

program

6 houses built for poor families or people living

with a disability

99 wheelchairs and tricycles provided to people

with a disability

26 teachers provided with training and 7 village school

buildings repaired

We are grateful, because in 2017 you helped

We are grateful, because in 2017 you helped create better futures:

AU$51,300

Top: Helen Forde, CEO, sharing your messages with the local program staff Sokha and Sokhem. Bottom: Children at a rural school proudly displaying the messages of solidarity.

transform lives:

These projects show students like these two Year 8 girls that they deserve a supportive environment.

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Loch is a landmine survivor who lost both his legs in 1993. Through Metta Karuna’s income generating program, Loch set up his own motor mechanic shop, and now works five days a week, and has regular clients who go to him for his quality service and work. When he’s not working at the shop, Loch also tends to the rice fields that he owns.

“I can now feed my family really well, and I hope that my children will be able to get jobs in the future,” says Loch.

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With the generosity of our Australian Jesuit family, Jesuit Mission supports the formation of Jesuits in Timor-Leste and Myanmar. In time, these men will continue to spread the good news and provide pastoral care to countless communities living in the margins.

In 2017 we met Jesuit Scholastic, Brother Bosco Thang Pi, whose current role is to lead candidates in Myanmar’s Jesuit Candidacy Program and teach English at Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Institute. “I am really happy that I am a Jesuit,” says Bosco. “My faith’s journey is because of the spirituality of the Jesuits – to find God in all things.”

Thank you for your support and prayers for young Jesuits like Bosco in Myanmar and many others in

Timor, who are dedicating themselves to the greater glory of God and the good of all humanity.

“When I am ordained the first thing I want to do is to improve the education in my country, the education of young people.” – Br Bosco Thang Pi

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Thingangyun Project, Myanmar

“We are called, then, to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude.” – Pope Francis, World Day of the Poor 2017

In 2017 we were proud to support a vital project run by the Jesuits in Myanmar, in the Thingangyun slum and township. Thingangyun slum is one of Yangon’s major slums, and many people face multiple vulnerabilities and discrimination in their lives.

The Thingangyun Project provides shelter, microcredit loans and education to poor and vulnerable families living in the slum and nearby township. The impact of these services on individuals and families cannot be over-emphasised – the simplest support has meant so much to people like Ms Khin Ohm (right). Thankyou for being with our sisters and brothers living in the margins.

Reaching those in the margins

Forming future Jesuit missionaries

A simple loan

Daw Khin Ohm Myint is a widow who lives alone in Thingangyun slum. With no family nearby, the only way she has been able to buy food and medicine is by collecting trash. And to do this, she has had to rent a trolley from a nearby local business. But through the Thingangyun Project, she received a microloan which has helped her purchase a trolley. Now, she doesn’t have to sacrifice so much of her income to rent the trolley, and she already owns the trolley outright. Ms Khin Ohm is now able to take another loan, and after a year she will have savings she’s never had before. Ms Khin Ohm was also provided with a new shelter in 2017. This support is leading Ms Khin Ohm to financial independence and an improved quality of life.

support to the Thingangyun

Project

200 students had a place to study

through attending the evening school

Br Bosco Thang Pi meeting His Holiness Pope Francis during the visit to Myanmar in November 2017. Credit: Vatican Press

38 families received microcredit loans so

they can earn an income

40 families were provided with new shelter

69 students were enrolled in the English Academy and 20 students attended the

Community College

We are grateful, because in 2017, you helped strengthen hope:

AU$70,135

We offer our heartfelt gratitude to our Jesuit Mission community for your generosity and compassion. You are our community of companions, or as St Ignatius would say, our friends in the Lord. In working together, we have raised significant funds to support a faith that does justice.

Supporter spotlight – Jo Bell Jo Bell’s involvement with the Maytime Fair began in 2000 when her eldest son started at Kostka Hall, Xavier College. Over the past 17 years, Jo has been an incredible ambassador of Jesuit Mission, devoting her time and energy to the Maytime Fair, especially as Chair of the organising committee for the past seven years.

Her favourite memory of the Fair? “The day of the Maytime Fair, it’s always amazing to stand in the Great Hall from early in the morning and gradually people just all turn up. It’s really quite extraordinary and extremely humbling. For me that’s the most memorable part – how generous people are, not just with money, but with time.”

We are full of gratitude to Jo for everything she has contributed to the Maytime Fair; it has been a real privilege to have someone with her energy and enthusiasm as part of our Jesuit Mission family.

Action creatingchange

In 2017, your generosity and involvement in community events raised: $539,000

Our community events

Maytime Fair

Card Day

Golf Days

Indian Bazaar

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“Love ought to show itself more in deeds than in words.” – St Ignatius of Loyola

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Since 2004, the Jesuit parish of St Canice’s in Sydney has been accompanying the people of Railaco, a community just outside of Dili in Timor-Leste.

The generous commitment of parishioners at St Canice’s for more than a decade has helped run community development and education projects in Railaco – including a nutrition and feeding program for preschool children, a mobile medical clinic that serves nine remote communities, and a senior secondary school called NOSSEF. In 2017, for the

second year in a row, all graduating students at NOSSEF passed the national exam.

Thank you to all the parishioners at St Canice’s for your support to Railaco. Over the years, your support has become more than just providing basic needs, it has turned into an ongoing partnership that gives families in Railaco encouragement, friendship and greater hope for their future.

“As we nourish our parish, we colour Timor’s future” – Michael Musgrave, St Canice’s Parish

FaithOur parish partnerships

An enduring partnership

creatingchange

For the second year in a row, all the graduating students at NOSSEF Secondary School in Railaco passed the national exams, with one student placing 5th in the whole district. Credit: Michael Musgrave

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The Leprosy Fellowship Committee at the Jesuit parish of Our Lady of the Way in Sydney has been tirelessly raising awareness and funds for people affected by leprosy in China for the past 13 years.

The dedicated and compassionate committee members and parishioners support the work of Jesuits in the Ricci Social Services which provides care for people affected by leprosy. Many of the people who are helped by the program live in isolated locations with little or no family or government support.

In 2017, the Leprosy Fellowship Committee rallied support from parishioners who were unfailingly

generous in their support for some of God’s most vulnerable people. We are ever thankful to the group, and would particularly like to honour the late Greg Bunbury, who passed away late last year and who had led the Committee for more than a decade – an extraordinary example of faith, solidarity and service.

“Year after year, you have helped us to continue this journey to the frontiers and to the margins of humanity, being with and serving those in need, learning from them, forming community with them. Nothing of this can be done without your friendship and support.” – Fr Fernando Azpiroz SJ, Ricci Social Services

The St Ignatius Parish Craft Group in Norwood, South Australia, started out as a way to bring people together over a nice cup of coffee. Now, the group of ‘go-getters’ have helped many communities around the world through their talents, compassion and enthusiasm.

Julie Tranfa, the organiser of the Craft Group explained, “The group was so productive, we thought, ’What can we do with all these crafts we’ve created?’” So the group started to sell their craft works and donate the money raised – at first to local causes, and then they started to look for other groups in need around the world. Over the past six years, the group has supported Jesuit Mission programs in Africa, Pakistan and Nepal.

We would like to say thank you to this amazing group who have used their talents and friendships to help

communities who are poor and marginalised across the world.

“It’s a receiving and giving experience. Receiving from being there together in the group, and giving to the wider community.” - Julie Tranfa, Craft Group organiser

Providing fellowship and care

Receiving through giving

Ricci Social Services provides physical, spiritual and social care, as well as food supplements and mobility aids for people who suffer from disabilities caused by leprosy. Credit: Ricci Social Services

The St Ignatius Parish Craft Group meets every week to create beautiful crafts to sell in the parish.

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Each year, students from Jesuit schools and Companion schools, such as John XXIII College, travel to Jesuit Mission-supported programs overseas to gain a greater understanding of the lives of our marginalised brothers and sisters, and to witness first-hand the impact of Jesuit Mission programs.

By Sol Slattery from John XXIII College, Perth

“In September last year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit India as a part of the 2017 pilgrimage program with nine other students and three staff members. India is a country of remarkable diversity – chaotic, bamboozling, intoxicating, crazy, exasperating, wonderful, squalid, beautiful, daunting, overwhelming and fantastic.

“As we arrived in Hazaribag, we were greeted by Fr Bob Slattery SJ, an Australian Jesuit missionary. There, a number of the Jesuits work to educate and empower the most downtrodden of India, the Dalits. During our stay, we visited many rural schools, and spent one memorable afternoon connecting with our host families and experiencing how they lived. The excursions provided us with the opportunity to meet with real people and hear about some of their issues and find out how the Jesuits are working with the communities to help support them with their education, health and livelihoods. The excursions were very powerful and humbling.

“The visit to India really provided me with an incredible insight about the work of the Jesuits and how they actively work to promote the God-given dignity of all

people. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I am confident that the experience will stay with me for a very long time.”

“Overall, going on pilgrimage to India challenged us, however we are truly grateful for our experience, including everything we learnt and everyone we met.” Sol Slattery

“For the unity we share and celebrate is born of diversity. It values people’s differences as a source of mutual enrichment and growth. It invites people to come together in a culture of encounter and solidarity.” – Pope Francis during his visit to Myanmar, 2017

Pilgrimage to India

In 2017, students and staff put their faith in action in school events and raised: $230,000

Schools in action

Students from John XXIII College with the hard working staff at Masi Marsal school.

creatingchange

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World record solidarityIn November 2017, Saint Ignatius’ College in Riverview, Sydney took on the Jesuit Mission Magis Project in World Record style, responding to the challenge: How can we raise awareness and funds for Jesuit Mission education projects in Timor-Leste?

Year 10 students Clayton Lie and Timothy Hurford came up with the winning idea of breaking the Guinness World Record for ‘the largest human image of a country’ involving the whole College community, with each participant contributing a small donation. Thank you to these young students for their creative grand-scale gesture of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Timor-Leste.

A few weeks later, we were so excited to see our brothers and sisters in Timor respond to the action on an equal scale. They expressed their gratitude to the Saint Ignatius’ College community with a huge ‘obrigado’ (‘thank you’ in Portuguese) as “Our way of saying thank you to Saint Ignatius’ College in Riverview for their wonderful gesture of support to the education apostolate of the Jesuits and its many lay partners in Timor-Leste. Obrigado!”

Watch the videos at http://bit.ly/2iJRpF9.

Year 7 student Nathan Sia has been a shining example of a young person showing solidarity and initiative through his ‘Footy Boots for Cambodia’ scheme.

Throughout the year, Nathan rallied his fellow students at Loyola College Watsonia, a Jesuit Companion school, to collect football boots to donate to students at Xavier Jesuit School in Cambodia. “It all started when one of my teachers, Mrs Devlin, came up with the idea that all the Xavier House students could become email pen pals with students at Xavier Jesuit School in Cambodia,” says Nathan. Through the emails, Nathan introduced his Cambodian friends to Australian Rules Football. Keen to help them experience the game first-hand, Nathan came up with his idea – to collect unwanted football boots that his fellow students had outgrown, and send them to his new friends in Cambodia. By the end of the project, he had collected close to 100 pairs of boots!

“I feel good that I can try to make a difference in the world and change people’s lives because students growing up in Cambodia are not as fortunate as us.” - Nathan Sia

Xavier House at Loyola College Watsonia has been fundraising for Jesuit Mission for many years. We’re thrilled to see the solidarity building between students in Australia and Cambodia, and very proud of Nathan for his leadership and commitment.

Footy boots for Cambodia

Top: 1,086 students and staff from St Ignatius College Riverview formed the shape of Timor-Leste as part of the Magis Project. Bottom: Our Jesuit partners in Timor-Leste responded with a grand-scale ‘Obrigado’!

Students cycling home for lunch at Xavier Jesuit School in Sisophon, Cambodia

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In 2017 we were privileged to publish Australian Jesuit missionary Fr Tony Herbert SJ’s latest book, Disturbing the Dust: Notes from the Margins, which shares his stories and reflections of working with Dalit and tribal communities in India.

As part of the book launch, we hosted two events in Sydney and Melbourne, and were honoured to see many long-time friends of Jesuit Mission, some who have supported the work of the Jesuits in India since

the first Australian Jesuit missionaries set sail in 1951. We are very grateful for our enduring family of Jesuit Mission supporters.

“In short, interaction with the poor is an essential part of my spiritual growth ... In sharing their vulnerability, I experience in it the power and love of God.” – from Disturbing the Dust, by Fr Tony Herbert SJ

LaunchingDisturbing the Dust

The Dalit people are amongst India’s most marginalised groups, excluded from many aspects of society. Over the past 66 years, Jesuit missionaries in Hazaribag, India have run formal and non-formal schools for children from Dalit and other tribal communities.

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Bequests – A legacy of support

A F ClarkAM & BM QuinnB CordingleyD MackintoshE D’AbadieF GrayF S CahirFr L J O’RourkeJ & E McManusJ B Boweny

J B RyanJ G FarrellyJ M SymonsJ MurphyK B OngK J WilloughbyK M SmythM B RyanM E AdkinsM F Nelson

M GoedmansM MuellerM S MitchellM TehN F BoyleSr M McDermottT J BrownV J FlynnV ShawW F Fitzgerald

We are filled with gratitude to the individuals who have left a legacy of support through a bequest to Jesuit Mission in 2017. Their gifts will ensure that our works of planting seeds of faith, hope and love in the hearts of the poor can continue for future generations.

Q. At Jesuit Mission, we aim to live out a “faith creating change”. What does this mean to you?

I believe that faith has to go with action – true faith always leads to changes, whether physically or spiritually. Jesus’ mission was one of healing and reconciliation. Through this, people who were once outcast are brought back into the right relationship with God and the community. As Christians we share in this mission of Jesus and are called to bring peace, healing, and reconciliation to our world.

Q. As a Jesuit, what does gratitude mean to you?

For me, gratitude is the ‘consolation and blossoming of the soul’. This ‘blossoming’ is the result of being watered with joy, beauty, love, all the good things, and sometimes the not so good. Being grateful is outward looking – seeing the gifts we have received and from whom, which build up relationships.

A grateful person is one who feels contentment, joy, humility and consolation. Central to Ignatian spirituality is ‘gratitude’. Ultimately it is about seeing and thanking God for all the things in our lives. Q. What is Jesuit Mission grateful for?

We are filled with gratitude for everyone who has walked with us throughout 2017 – Jesuit missionaries and other companions overseas, our Australian companions and supporters, and most of all, the vulnerable people living in the margins of our global community. It is through this network of people, that we are able to carry out our mission and see the face of God in each and every person that we encounter, and we’re privileged to work together to create meaningful change in the world.

“You sanctify whatever you are grateful for.” - Fr Anthony de Mello SJ

Rector of Jesuit Mission

Q&A with Fr Trung Nguyen SJ

All the programs we have supported throughout 2017 are the fruit of many people’s dedication, working and sharing together. We would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors and volunteers for supporting us in 2017. Thank you for joining us in our journey to reach our brothers and sisters living in the margins. Your compassionate act of faith is creating change in our world.

Back cover: Ms Chen Mao is a farmer in Cambodia who has substantially increased her family's income after participating in a Jesuit-run training program to learn a simple and organic method to grow rice.

We offer our heartfelt gratitude

The year 2017 is gone, leaving within our hearts deep gratitude.We are thankful.

Thankful for the successes because they make our efforts tangible, and also for the failures that make us appreciate the process.

Thankful for the love we have received because we realise that we are more than when we see beyond ourselves.

Thank you, life for everything because everything is the sum of who we are, and guides us to what we are looking for.

- Fr Joaquim Sarmento SJ Regional Superior of Timor-Leste

Address: Ron Dyer Centre, Level 1, 42 Ridge Street, North Sydney 2060 Mail: PO Box 193, North Sydney 2059 Phone: (02) 8918 4109 Website: jesuitmission.org.au Email: support@jesuitmission.org.au Facebook: facebook.com/jesuitmission